The White One
by Myannah
Summary: Darkness cannot exist without light. "When you light a candle, you also cast a shadow." ― Ursula K. Le Guin When Rumple became the dark one, magic had to create an equal Opposite.
1. Chapter 1

The white one.

Darkness cannot exist without light. "When you light a candle, you also cast a shadow."

― Ursula K. Le Guin

Chapter 1.

A light existed in the enchanted forest like no other. It was a light that could not be hidden or put out. It was the very existence of The White One. The White One excised because The Dark One did. The one could not exist without the other.

When the darkness fell onto Rumplestiltskin, light shuddered. And as all things fall into patterns and equal and opposite ways, Light had to find the strongest purest heart to balance out.

Light found a seventeen-year-old girl. She had the purest loving incorruptible heart that existed in the realm. Her name was Ezaria. With the power, came the knowledge. She knew what she was and what she could do. She understood the sacrifice and selflessness that came with it. She saw the life she could have had and hid it away.

She lived off of the land. Ezaria's very presence in the forest made things bloom, made the soil richer and everything more fruitful.

She was helping a sprout grow out of a patch of hard ground when she heard the pain from across the forest. She heard the child cry out for his mother. She heard his desperation.

She was there even before she thought about it. It was a small house in the middle of the forest. The boy was clutching his dead mother like his life depended on it. She heard the running footsteps of the thieves who had been here mere minutes ago. She sent wolves after them. As a warning. Not to harm.

Ezaria walked over to the child and gently pulled him away from his mother. She held him tight and told him everything would be okay. She knew the house was empty of life. She turned around and walked away with him in her arms.

She carried him to a spring and cleaned the blood off him. He remained quiet as she cleaned him, merely staring at her. She jumped when she looked up at him and saw his eyes trained on her.

"What's your name, little one?" She asked.

"Humbert." He mumbled. "What's yours?"

"I'm Ezaria" she answered. She wondered what her intensions where. What her plan was with this orphan. When she was answered by the bark of a wolf.

The white wolf stood on the rock and stared at them. She called him closer and hugged him close. Humpert watched close as she held her forehead to that of the wolf and sat in silence for several minutes.

"Humbert. This is your family now. They will take care of you." She said. Humbert frowned.

"You're leaving me?" He asked, panic in his voice.

"They will love you and take care of you. They will never harm you. And I will watch out for you through them. Don't be afraid."

From that day, little Humbert became the Huntsman.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Ezaria closed her eyes. The boys face was stuck in her mind. She had told the wolf to watch over him. She watched through the years as he grew up and turned into a huntsman of great valor.

It was the middle of winter. The wolves were all staying together in a cave with the huntsman. The sight of them sleeping in a bundle was too adorable. The huntsman woke with the intention of getting food. There was nothing to gather and being winter, it was hard to find anything to kill. He put on the boots he'd bartered off a gypsy carriage and his hunting jacket. It wasn't easy to walk in it but it was warm.

He crawled around the forest for hours. The sun was halfway up the sky when he noticed an animal at a creek. It was still young. But it meant that there were older ones nearby. It also meant that spring was on its way.

He searched around for the others and found them hiding between some bushes. He knew that shooting one arrow could kill more than one. And that, he did not want to do.

He threw a rock and they scattered, and as soon as he had one on its own, he shot it. His heart broke.

"Someone has to die, so that someone can live." A voice startled him. He quickly turned towards the voice aim at the ready. And just as quickly, he dropped his aim. That face. He'd seen it before.

"You have not aged a day." He said bemused.

She answered with a sweet smile. The sun broke through the leaves, illuminating her in a very magical way. She looked as astonishing as she did the day she saved him.

"I have been looking for you." He said. She smiled wider.

"I've always been here."

"I know." A hint of sadness in his voice. "Don't leave again." He pleaded.

She saw into the future. She saw everything. And decided to change it.

"I won't go anywhere."


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Storybrooke, Day 1.

The curse washed over the enchanted forest. It turned everything into Storybrooke. Ezaria stood in the middle of the street, staring at the lives people were busy living.

Grannie yelled out the diner at Ruby. Kids were getting ready for school. The Mayor was taking a walk and nearly ran into a teacher. A car honked and suddenly hands where on Ezaria's waist and she was flying through the air. She felt her feet on the ground again and looked up into the eyes of the Sherriff.

"You best be careful now," Sherriff Graham said. Feelings and thoughts flooded through Ezaria and she forgot how to breathe. "Miss?" He asked and she snapped out of it.

"Sherriff," was the only thing she could say.

"Are you okay? Why were you standing in the middle of the road?"

"I just realized I forgot my bag at Grannie's." she mumbled.

"Let's go get it then." Graham motioned for her to walk first.

"You don't have to go with me." Ezaria said.

"Well, you stopped walking in the middle of the street, I'm helping you get you bag and then taking you to the school nurse."

Ezaria blushed. She was getting too much attention from the town Sherriff, and she was just a high school kid. And although most girls in her class had hushed conversations about the very good-looking Sherriff, she felt shame when he had had to rescue her. She imagined what her classmates would say if she mentioned this.

"What's you name?" Graham asked her as they entered the diner.

She opened her mouth to answer but swallowed her reply quickly.

"You mean you don't remember? Did you hit your head recently?" Graham touched her head. All her blood left her body and she felt a rush.

"I'm fine. My name's Beatrix. I'm just tired. I could use another coffee."

"Your parents let you drink coffee?"

"My parent's died a long time ago. And I'm seventeen. I make my own choices." She thought about how that sounded and blushed again.

Graham smiled. Ezaria frowned and started looking for her bag. By the time she found it and turned to the door (with the intention of ditching the hot Sherriff), Graham stood at the door with two coffees ready.

Graham walked her to school, and had her checked out by the nurse. Ezaria went to class and tried to forget the Sherriff's touch.

After school, she headed home. She stood in front of the pawnshop and stared at the door. She took a deep breath and walked in.

"Afternoon, Dearie, how was school?" Mr. Gold asked the minute he laid eyes on her. Ezaria clenched her jaw and sighed.

"What did you do?" She asked him bluntly. "What the hell did you do, Rumple?"


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Mr. Gold sighed.

"You know about that, do you?" he said and walked around the counter.

Ezaria dropped her bag on the floor and ignored it. Mr. Gold grumbled as if this was an annoying habit she's always had.

"Please pick that up, you know I hate it when you drop things on my wood floors. Ezaria stared at the bag and kicked it to a corner.

"Yes, that was exactly what I meant." He said sarcastically.

"Sarcasm does not become you." She replied. "You're evil enough without it. Why did you do this?"

"Why do you know about this? You're supposed to be under the curse too."

"I'm your equal. Of course I know. You're stalling. Tell me."

"I did not do anything." Mr. Gold smirked.

"I'm standing in Storybrooke!"

"So am I."

"But you know about this. You're wealthy, feared by many and you're smirking. You know."

Mr. Gold stared at her. "Regina did it." He confessed. "She wanted to take over the world."

"That sounds like a stupid comic book idea." Ezaria stopped talking. "I don't want to know why I even know what that is."

"She wanted revenge and she wanted to rule. She did this. I helped so I got a few perks. So did you." Mr. Gold nodded once.

"What perks?" Ezaria asked.

"Money. You are my ward, so you benefit from my wealth. You have equal wealth from your 'parents', which is placed in the bank for your use." He used his fingers to indicate quotation marks around 'parents'

"What else?" Ezaria wondered if magic was possible. Mr. Gold thought for a minute before answering.

"The queen must give you whatever you want, as long as you say please."

"Why would she agree to that?"

"She thought I'd forget."

"And she obviously forgot about me." Ezaria was deep in thought. "So, no magic. That means I can be selfish. Do things for myself without consequence…"

"Probably. Beatrix does sound like a rebel." Mr. Gold mused.

"I can get my husband back." Ezaria smiled.

"Evil looks good on you, Dearie. But sadly your husband is an adult. And you my dear, a minor."

"That just makes it more enjoyable." She smirked.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5.

_In the Enchanted Forest, before the curse. _

Ezaria walked into town with her nose in a book. The people stared at her and whispered to each other. She walked into the bookstore and handed the book back to the owner.

"Is there something else you'd like?" the old man asked her.

Ezaria looked around her and as she turned, she saw villagers stare at her through the window. She frowned. She looked at the storeowner and calculated the look on his face. He looked scared.

"Are you afraid of me?" she bluntly asked. He was taken aback but decided to answer truthfully.

"Not afraid, my dear. Just concerned. We all are."

"Concerned about what?"

"You have been shopping in town for several years now and you have not changed at all. There are stories about people like you."

"Stories? About me?" Ezaria wondered what he meant.

"Night walkers. People who trade their souls for everlasting life."

"But it is day time?" Ezaria stared out the window and caught two more villagers talking. They jump when she looked at them and they suddenly scattered.

"There is no sun today." He said kindly. "Or any other day when you come here. I've checked. I believe it's not the light itself, but the direct sun."

"You think I'm a revenant?" She asked with a high-pitched voice. She was getting uncomfortable.

"We don't know what you are. Just a bit strange."

Ezaria felt hurt. She loved this town. And suddenly it dawned on her. She would have to leave it. They can never see her again or they would start thinking she's something worse.

She snapped out of her daze and thanked him politely before walking out the store. She tucked her cloak in close and walked up the street. She walked towards the market and started searching for Humbert. She spotted him and hugged him close when she reached him.

"Whoa. What's wrong, my love?" he asked her when he saw tears in her eyes.

"We have to leave." She whispered and tugged at him.

"Why? We're just getting some supplies for the winter." He held her by her shoulders and kissed her lightly to calm her. Everyone was staring. Another thought crept up on her but she pushed it away.

"They think I'm a revenant!" she spoke louder than intended.

"A what?" a frown mixed with his amused smile blanked out her mind for a second.

"A visible ghost or lively corpse that is believed to return from the grave to terrorize the living. We must go. Now!" She pulled at him again and fear filled his face. He left with no more encouragement.

Arriving at their cottage a bit later, Humbert thought it was a good time to start talking again.

"We have to move." He said simply.

"Moving won't solve anything." She said morbidly.

"Or you have to make me like you." Anger struck her.

"I can't do that! It's not I can just flick my wrist and turn you into something because I'm nothing to be turned into."

"You've been the same since I was a boy. Your hair has not grown. You have not aged. You are something special." He walked towards her slowly and held her face. "I don't care that you don't change. I have always loved you. You're mine. Let's just move south before the snow comes. We'll start over somewhere new."

Ezaria fought with her mind. Pushing thoughts away that made her sad and instead focused on the moment. She kissed him. She knew what she was going to do.

After Humbert fell asleep that night, Ezaria snuck out with her cloak tucked close and returned just before the sun came up. She got into bed and warmed herself up with the heat of her husband's skin.

Several days later they had their things packed on a horse-cart and walked away from their cottage. Ezaria had left a note on the door saying 'Please love our home as we did.'

After traveling for hours, they stopped to rest.

"The safest road is going around the mountain." Humbert said as he scanned the horizon.

"It's going to start snowing in just a few days. We'll move faster if we go over them." Ezaria countered.

"It's colder on the mountain already."

"I have you to keep me warm." She said sweetly. He smiled.

Ezaria stared at him. She scanned his face and burned it into her memory. He looked back at her and smiled when he saw her staring. Ezaria kissed him then. As she has never kissed him before.

"What was that?" he asked curiously.

"I love you so much." She said simply.

"I love you too." He threw his arms around her and kissed her temple. She took a deep breath and they started moving on.

On top of the mountain they walked beside a cliff road. They were careful to get the horse and the cart to safety.

They came to point where it was impossible for more than one cart to move and they found another cart standing in the wait for them. Thieves. After trying to talk them out of robbing them, Humbert started fighting them. Ezaria could not stand and watch and tried to help. She jumped on one of the thieves and he stepped backwards, throwing her off the cliff side. Humbert stopped mid fight and turned to the cliff. The thieves looked down the side and decided to run away. Far under the cliff was a river. The waters were strong from coming winter rainfall. Ezaria was gone.

Humbert left their cart and tried to climb down to the river. He ended up slipping in places and getting scratched. He searched all the way down the river until he got exhausted. She was gone. He fell asleep on the riverbank.

From a distance, Ezaria watched him with tears burning down her face.


End file.
